Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has been declared bankrupt at High Court after splitting from his wife – having once earned £50,000-per-week at Old Trafford
Former Manchester United and England defender Wes Brown has been declared bankrupt at the High Court.
The Mirror report that HMRC filed a bankruptcy petition against the former England international, which was rubber stamped at the High Court on April 12.
Brown earned as much as £50,000-a-week during his time at United. He won five Premier League titles, four domestic cups and the Champions League twice during his time at United.
The 43-year-old, who called time on his career in 2018 following a spell in India after 19 years in the Premier League and one in the Championship, has fallen on hard times financially.
Brown split from his wife Leanne, with whom he has three children, last year – 13 years after tying the knot. Leanne was to later find fame on reality TV show the Real Housewives of Cheshire.
In 2016, they slashed the asking price on their Prestbury mansion to £2.4million from £4.5m.
In 2019, Leanne said: “Yes we’ve got a lovely life and all this money and I’m not saying the money isn’t great but when you’re in it you’re living in this bubble. Although the fans can be amazing they can also be very cruel.
“It must be hard [for footballers] to deal with to be on top one minute and hated the next for a bad kick or missing the goal. We are the ones that are left to pick up the pieces and bear the brunt of whatever is left at the end of their careers.
“Sometimes it’s hard being alone a lot. The lads are away a lot, especially if involved in a high-profile club and England international, too.”
Brown, who is thought to have earned around £1million-a-year at Sunderland, where he spent five seasons after leaving United, was recently honest about his fitness at the time.
He admitted that he wasn’t in the best shape after moving on from Old Trafford, having once nabbed a pay rise after fighting on a bus.
He told Fore Fore 2 in March: “I had a think but I still wanted to play. I wanted to play but I knew it wasn’t up to the standard at United.
“When you are fit, it’s no problem. You’re getting up to your man quickly. I knew over the last couple of years, I just couldn’t do it.
“My game had changed a little bit. To be fair, with the injuries I had, I didn’t do too bad in the sense that normal people wouldn’t play as long with the two ACLs I had, but managed to get through it.”
SOURCE: dailystar.co.uk
